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Dismantling the Dichotomy of Cowardice and Courage in the American Civil War

Schindler, Mauren A, Schindler

Abstract Details

2018, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History.
By examining the lives and battle experiences of three brothers, this thesis explores their perceptions of cowardice and courage as Union soldiers during the American Civil War. Using primary sources from a newly uncovered collection, the Reiter Family Collection, and using a single family, the Bassetts, as a microcosm of both their community and northern society this thesis examines questions such as in the values, motivation, and struggles of loss, remembrance, and survivors guilt. As historians have often understudied the complicated nexus between experiences of cowardice and courage, this research takes an approach not common in the extant literature. What I refer to as the continuum shows that soldiers felt courage and cowardice concurrently. As a result, there was, and is, more to study about cowardice and courage than the obvious dichotomy. This work describes these terms on a continuum, a flexible scale wherein a person can experience cowardice and courage simultaneously. Examining cowardice and courage through the experiences of the Bassett brothers, this thesis explores who the brothers were, where they came from, and how they fit into the greater scheme of Union wartime society. It continues with an analysis of the experiences and perceptions of the brothers and their different cowardly and courageous experiences. Finally, the thesis concludes with a detailed glance at their successful or failed attempts at redemption.
Kevin Adams, PhD (Advisor)
Leonne Hudson, PhD (Committee Member)
Elaine Frantz (Parsons), PhD (Committee Member)
108 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Schindler, Schindler, M. A. (2018). Dismantling the Dichotomy of Cowardice and Courage in the American Civil War [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1532694510126409

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Schindler, Schindler, Mauren. Dismantling the Dichotomy of Cowardice and Courage in the American Civil War. 2018. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1532694510126409.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Schindler, Schindler, Mauren. "Dismantling the Dichotomy of Cowardice and Courage in the American Civil War." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1532694510126409

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)